Album Notes

sean hargreaves trio
rush hour
release date ● 4 april 2005
terrapin records ● trpn 2002

“His audacity in manipulating the beat recalls the late Bill Evans, and his attacking chord-work McCoy Tyner”. The Guardian

“Along with a remarkable technique and delicate touch, Hargreaves has a flair for unusual rhythmic settings”. The Observer

Rush Hour is the new album from London based pianist Sean Hargreaves. It is a contemporary trio album in terms of material, arrangement and production and features one of the UK’s finest young musicians who has taken time off his session work to produce the follow up to his critically acclaimed debut album Do You Know Who You Are? (1998). Sean has been influenced as much by jazz, funk and rock, as he has by classical music. A cellist until the age of seventeen, he then turned his attention to the piano, which he has played ever since. The classical music he studied when he was young has stuck with him, inspiring his own compositions to this day.

For his second album Sean wanted to produce something that would reflect his diverse musical tastes, from Chopin to Mahler, from Oscar Peterson to Led Zeppelin. Stretching songs rhythmically has been an important part of this, as with Putting On The Ritz and the challenge of covering two contemporary pop songs, Pull Up To The Bumper and Walking On The Moon. Six of the ten tracks are originals, inspired by conversations, snippets of music, places and people. Better Get On With That was originally written for a duo album Sean recorded with Harry Beckett, which has yet to be released.

Rush Hour boasts a talented cast, it is co-produced by Simon Changer who’s credits include Oi Va Voi, Madonna and Lamb, and also features more talents from the UK jazz scene in Andy Hamill (bass) and Tristan Mailliot (drums).

Sean Hargreaves studied in New York with Barry Harris and at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. On his return to the UK in 1998 he received an Arts Council grant to record his debut album, Do You Know Who You Are? and formed his own label, Terrapin, for its UK release. As well as appearing on national TV throughout 2004 with Michael Buble, Sean has worked with a number of UK based jazz musicians such as John Etheridge, Byron Wallen, Ed Jones, Jim Mullen, Roger Beaujolais and Harry Beckett as well as some big names on the pop circuit, including Natalie Imbruglia, US3 and Alison Moyet. His trio also provided music for ‘My Fair Kerry’, a documentary broadcast on ITV1 in August 2005.